Often perceived as a low-paying and demanding occupation, farming is crucial and should be a profitable job that provides us the food we consume.
How about if our farmers get frustrated with intermediaries or middlemen whom they rely on to sell their produce, and decide to just leave their harvests to rot?
A farmer in Cebu province ranted on Facebook about how middlemen exploited them by offering low prices, leaving him and other farmers with meager profits, while they reaped the higher margins themselves.
An under 2-minute video that made the rounds last week showed the farmer chopping a squash to pieces against the backdrop of a large pile of the produce, as he raged about the hardships farmers go through only to be offered P3 per kilo. This was not even enough to offset the financial capital and labor used to grow the squash.
He lamented how his family was expecting to feast on other food besides cassava that they regularly had on the dining table during the growing season.
Stories of farmers throwing away their harvest evoke sympathetic emotions, highlighting the prevailing poverty and hardships they face. Their stories are prevalent in the rural areas, reinforcing reports that so many farmers have to endure poverty and suffering — that should inspire institutions to launch projects aimed at assisting them.
Lucky are those who spend their retirement doing backyard farming, those who plant vegetables for personal consumption. In the case of the Cebu farmer in the video, commercial farming as a good source of income is a myth, neither is planting profitable vegetables like ampalaya, eggplant, string beans, squash, carrots, potatoes, onions and garlic, among others.
With the grim reminder that there are still a lot of forsaken Filipino farmers and that we have to do more to achieve inclusive growth, there is more to raising awareness of their sad plight.
We are confronted with a paradox. The agriculture sector, despite its crucial role in the Philippine economy, often goes unnoticed, possibly due to its slow growth compared to other sectors like construction.
John Bae, in his research article titled “Beyond the Farmers’ Plight: A Closer Look at Philippine Agriculture,” said the paradox surrounding the unnoticed agriculture sector contributes to persistent rural poverty.
Research indicates that poverty is primarily an agricultural issue, with a significant number of impoverished individuals residing in farming and fishing regions. This suggests that the poverty experienced by farmers is not only a matter of inequality or social injustice but a fundamental problem within the agriculture sector itself.
The plight of vegetable farmers is a compelling issue that demands attention from policymakers and agricultural organizations. By addressing challenges such as market volatility and linkages, climate change, limited resources, and inadequate infrastructure, we can create an enabling environment for our vegetable farmers to thrive in.
By investing in infrastructure, storage facilities, and irrigation systems, government can help mitigate losses due to post-harvest issues and weather-related risks.
Most of all, promoting farmer cooperatives and empowering them to negotiate fair prices can reduce their dependence on middlemen who bury them further in the quagmire of poverty.
Let us not lose sight of the fact that the farmers are the main reason there’s food on our tables.